Local artist Cathy Raingarden’s sketches made at local rallies, marches and overpass demonstrations will be featured in an exhibition at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists from May 3 to June 6, 2026. Credit: Cathy Raingarden

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🎨 The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists will be hosting an exhibition of local artist Cathy Raingarden’s sketches made at local rallies, marches and overpass demonstrations such as the Tesla protests on Fourth Street. Exhibition opens on May 3 and closes on June 6. Cedar St. and Bonita Ave. FREE

📚 Bay Area cartoonist Julia Wertz celebrates her new book “Bury Me Already (It’s Nice Down Here),” the follow-up to her acclaimed 2023 graphic memoir “Impossible People.” She’ll be joined in conversation and cartooning by award-winning Oakland graphic memoirist Briana Loewinsohn, author of 2023’s “Ephemera” and 2025’s “Raised By Ghosts.” Thursday, April 30, 7 p.m. Pegasus Books Downtown. FREE

🪧 A few protests tied to the national May Day Strong mobilization against Trump administration policies are planned this Friday, May 1, including a rally organized by Berkeley High students in Civic Center Park with a goal to “abolish ICE, end fascism, tax billionaires.” It starts at 11:45 a.m and will be followed by a march to UC Berkeley’s California Hall. See a list of May Day protests scheduled in and around Berkeley

🌍 If Elon Musk’s level of influence is a mystery to you, join authors Quinn Slobodian and Ben Tarnoff for a talk on their latest book, “Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.” Slobodian and Tarnoff will discuss how Musk’s background in apartheid South Africa, Silicon Valley, and the internet can be a guide towards understanding his techno-futurism and deglobalization movement. Friday, May 1, 4 p.m. 820 Social Sciences Building at UC Berkeley. FREE 

🫖 Unwind at the end of the week by bringing a craft project of your choice to enjoy some tea with community at Teance’s CrafTea Club. Friday, May 1 and May 15, 5 p.m. 1036 Grayson St. $8.50-$15 sliding scale 

☕ Test your barista skills at Jaffa Coffee Roasters’s first annual latte art throwdown. The competition will be a single round elimination, with five-minute pours using whole milk. Friday, May 1, 6:30 p.m. 1701 University Ave. $15 entry for competitors, FREE for spectators

👶 Celebrate Children’s Day and Asian American Heritage Month with Imasala Collective, where they will have local artisans, brands, food, performers, author read-a-loud, arts and crafts, and more for the community. Saturday, May 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. 1714 San Pablo Ave. FREE

💃 Luna Dance & Creativity hosts the May Day Gathering & Bazaar, a free, family-centered event transforming the blocks behind Luna’s studio into a vibrant, ADA-accessible block party for dance, artmaking, connection and commerce spotlighting 25 local artists and entrepreneurs. Saturday, May 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Potter Street (between 7th and 9th streets). FREE 

⛅ Ride a dragon boat, take a guided tour, watch kids cavort in Adventure Playground or simply bask in the glories of the waterfront at the Berkeley Bay Festival. Saturday, May 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Shorebird Park. FREE

 📚 Award-winning Berkeley author Jeff Chang discusses his recent biography “Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America,” which draws on thousands of personal documents (including letters, diaries, and rare photos) and exclusive, in-depth interviews with Lee’s inner circle (including his first love, close friends, and early fighting mentors). (Read more on Berkeleyside.) Saturday, May 2, 3 p.m. Berkeley Library South Branch. FREE

🎻 The Young People’s Symphony Orchestra’s presents “America 250 Festival: Celebration of American Music” featuring both chamber and orchestral works by American composers including Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, John Adams and Jessie Montgomery. Saturday, May 2, 7 p.m. First Church Berkeley. $20-$30

🎹 American Bach’s Gabriel Benton and Corey Jamason present a concert detailing the variety of ways that Bach composed for the harpsichord, whether as a solo instrument (Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue), a chamber music colleague (Sonata No. 5 in G Major for Obbligato Harpsichord and Violin), a shining star (Concerto in A Minor for Flute, Violin, Harpsichord, and Strings), or even a nimble interlocutor in conversation with itself (a rare performance of Bach’s Concerto for Two Harpsichords). Saturday May 2, 7 p.m. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.$44-$111

⚕️ Learn about the history of MDMA research and the drug’s use in psychotherapy today — thanks to the work of biochemist Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin — in an evening exhibition of Shulgin’s artifacts from his lab and psychedelic art and music. Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m. Berkeley Alembic, 2820 Seventh St. $35 

🥁 Curated by Berkeley pianist, flutist and composer Erika Oba, this monthlong series focusing on the Bay Area’s Asian America jazz scene kicks off with two trios led by drum great Akira Tana (whose father, Daisho Tana, led the Berkeley Buddhist Temple in the late 1930s and early ’40s), with the first featuring ace bassist John Wiitala and saxophonist Wayne de Silva and the second Wiitala and pianist Rumi Abe. Saturday, May 2, 8 p.m. The Jazzschool. $25

🎺After a day of workshops and a panel discussion the 25th Herdeljezi Romani Festival, presented by the Bay Area group Voice of Roma, swings into high gear with the annual springtime celebration of Balkan Romani music, dance and culture featuring Macedonian clarinet star Ismail Lumanovski (leader of the NY Gypsy All Stars) with accordionist Chris Bajmakovic, vocalist Hristina Ilioska, trumpeter Benji Rifati, percussionist Rumen Sali Shopov and vocalist Janie Cowan. The opening evening set features local favorite Ensemble Meraklii. Saturday, May 2, 8 p.m. Ashkenaz. $30-$35

📰 Acclaimed performer Nina Wise presents three special performances of her caustic, ripped-from-the headlines review of the day’s events, “What Just Happened?” a critically acclaimed improvisational series that inspired the New York Times to describe her as “a metaphysical vaudevillian for the new millennium.” Saturdays, May 2–16, 8 p.m. The Marsh. $25-$100

 ✡️ 📚 The second edition of the Magnes Jewish Arts & Bookfest brings together a range of Jewish writers and artists, including comedian Samson Koletkar discussing his life as a Jewish Indian stand-up comic (and performing a set). Other highlights include talks about Torah imagery in Tarot cards, Soviet history and more. Sunday, May 3, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. The Magnes. $40

🍵 Kopi Bar and Bakery presents Vinyl on Brew, where music will be spinning while you can stay and enjoy a coffee and/or treat. Sunday, May 3, 1-4 p.m. 2155 Center St. inside of BAMPFA. FREE (we recommend supporting by buying a drink) 

🎶 The Gilman Jazz Festival will feature two local jazz bands — including Cal State East Bay’s — and one internationally touring band for a night of casual and not-too-loud music. Sunday, May 3, 2 p.m. Gilman Brewing Company. $10-20

🎭 A dark comedy that places our contemporary political divisions in a summer camp, Theatre Lunatico’s production of Skylar Fox’s and Simon Henriques’ “The Grown Ups” is directed by core company member Devon deGroot, creating an immersive experience that evokes sunscreen and bug spray. Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m., Sunday, May 3, 3 p.m. (through May 17). La Val’s Subterranean Theater. $15-$50

📚 Author Josie Iselin and illustrator Ellen Litwiller mark the release of their new book “The Mysterious World of the Bull Kelp Forest” with a conversation and slideshow of images from the book capturing the underwater forests that make the waters of the North Pacific coast a wondrous habitat. Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 p.m. North Branch. FREE

📘 If you’ve ever wanted an insider’s look into Jessica Mitford, prolific author and rebel sister of the aristocratic Mitford family of the early 1900s, join editor Peter Y. Sussman in a lecture on his book “Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford,” which chronicles and footnotes the letters she wrote to loved ones and fellow social justice activists. Wednesday, May 6, 7 p.m. Berkeley City Club. $5-10

🗓️ See more things to do in Oakland and Richmond. And check out our big list of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley. Sign up for our weekly arts and culture newsletter, The Scene.

If there’s an event you’d like us to consider for this roundup, email us at the-scene@berkeleyside.org. The deadline to submit events for Around Berkeley is end-of-day Monday. If there’s an event that you’d like to promote on our calendar, you can use the self-submission form on our events page.

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